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Want to understand your Mom’s, your Dad’s and your X’s DNA? No, not your ex‐spouse, your X chromosome! We’ll dive into your maternal Mitochondrial (mtDNA), paternal Y‐DNA and the X chromosome in this class. You will need to have tested your mtDNA or YDNA of yourself or another person to get the most out of the class. The class curriculum emphasizes learning from listening, sharing, watching and hands on! You’ll have the chance to play with learning tools and the steps to research your DNA results. Best for those who have taken the DNA Kindergarten class.

Instructor: Bonnie Bossert
Friday, 12:30 - 3:30 p.m., December 15, 2023
In-person at WVGS Library

Please provide your phone number in the space below so we can contact you if there is a schedule change.

This tutorial focuses on how to navigate the WVGS website and access the many resources available at WVGS including
• the WVGS library catalog, • our periodical collection, the obituary index, and the surname register, • using the online store to purchase books, make donations, renew membership, or register for classes and the annual seminar, • keeping up with WVGS activities, policies, and publications such as Tidbits, • understanding the icons on the lab computers, and • accessing other genealogy sites including FamilySearch, My Heritage, and American Ancestors

Instructor: Lou McLean
Monday, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m., December 18, 2023
In-person at WVGS Library

This class is limited to 9 students.

Please provide your phone number in the space below so we can contact you if there is a schedule change.

This tutorial focuses on how to navigate the WVGS website and access the many resources available at WVGS including
• the WVGS library catalog, • our periodical collection, the obituary index, and the surname register, • using the online store to purchase books, make donations, renew membership, or register for classes and the annual seminar, • keeping up with WVGS activities, policies, and publications such as Tidbits, • understanding the icons on the lab computers, and • accessing other genealogy sites including FamilySearch, My Heritage, and American Ancestors

Instructor: Lou McLean
Monday, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m., January 15, 2024
In-person at WVGS Library (Computer Lab)

This class is limited to 9 students.

Please provide your phone number in the space below so we can contact you if there is a schedule change.

This class is appropriate for those joining the 2024 WVGS Research Trip to Salt Lake City and anyone considering such a trip in the future. The class will offer the following:

* An overview of the Family History Library and its resources so that you know what to expect.
* Information about what items to take.
* Tips on how to set objectives for your research.
* Suggestions about the homework you need to do before the trip.
* How the FamilySearch.org website can help in your trip preparation.
* Tips on how to organize your materials in order to attack the Library and maximize limited research time.

Instructor: Adrienne Haupt
Thursday, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon, January 18, 2024
In-person at WVGS Library (Multipurpose Room)

Please provide your phone number in the space below so we can contact you if there is a schedule change.

A Basic Course for Beginning Family Research, with an introduction to census, vital records, church, probate, land, immigration, naturalization and military records with related papers to be found in each...What to look for and where to find it.

Instructor: Barbara Stenberg
Friday, 1:00 – 3:30 p.m., January 19, 2024
In-person at WVGS Library (Multipurpose Room)

Please provide your phone number in the space below so we can contact you if there is a schedule change.

Got a Brick Wall? It might be because you need to analyze more carefully the sources you already have. Select 2 source documents from your files and join us to explore:

• Indexes, abstracts, transcripts, published, and original sources,
• The difference between sources, information, and evidence,
• How to get the most from each document, including clues for where to look next, and
• Why, when, and how to cite sources

Instructor: Connie Sheets
Saturday, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., January 20, 2024
THIS CLASS WILL BE CONDUCTED VIRTUALLY. Registrants will receive the necessary link via e-mail about one week prior to the class.

Please provide your phone number in the space below so we can contact you if there is a schedule change.

For those who are considering testing or have tested at any of the DNA testing companies and are wondering where to start, this is a beginner’s class that even those who think they’ve figured it out will enjoy. The class curriculum emphasizes learning in different ways: visual, audial, tactile and theoretical. You’ll have the chance to play with learning tools, test your smarts and we might even have nap time! Bring your questions about those teeny pieces of DNA and how they get in your family tree.

Instructor: Bonnie Bossert
Monday, 12:00 - 4:00 p.m., January 29, 2024
In-person at WVGS Library (Multipurpose Room)

Please provide your phone number in the space below so we can contact you if there is a schedule change.

Digging Deeper For Our Roots with Rich Venezia

Saturday, February 17, 2024

Check-in: 8:30 am - 9:00 am

Seminar: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Rich Venezia is a New Jersey native who now calls Pennsylvania home. He founded Rich Roots Genealogy in 2013. He was a member of the research team of Genealogy Roadshow (PBS) for two seasons, and also consulted on Follow Your Past (Travel Channel). He is an expert in the research of 20th-century immigrant ancestors, especially underutilized record sources and federal records. He also specializes in Italian and Irish research. Additionally, he assists clients with dual citizenship applications for Ireland and Italy, and is a proud Italian dual citizen. He holds a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University and lectures nationwide.

Topics

• Discovering Your Immigrant's Origins: Digging Deeper
• Military Records and Immigrant Ancestors
• Alien Registrations in America
• Emerald Isle Express: Researching Irish Ancestors

Location:

Shepherd of the Hills United Methodist Church

13658 W. Meeker Blvd., Fellowship Hall
Sun City West, Arizona

Map location link

Registration Fee:

$55 thru December 31, 2023
$65 beginning January 1, 2024

Fee includes the Program, Continental Breakfast, Box Lunch, Beverages, and Prizes.

Deadline to register: February 12, 2024. Refunds not given for cancellation after this date.

Registration Questions? Contact Molly at mlmonks9954@gmail.com.

We will send you a copy of an obituary in pdf format. Please make sure you specify the full name of the person and their date of death when you checkout.

Clear plastic tote bags with the WVGS logo are available at the Library. Each tote is large enough to hold a folder and your other personal items. The top zips so your items will not “spill out” or “get lost.” This item must be picked up at the WVGS Library after ordering. Tote bags are also be available at the Membership Meetings.

Polyester Lanyard screen printed with "West Valley Genealogical Society".
They are 36" long, 5/8" wide with a lobster clip and come in a choice of Yellow or Kelly Green. This item must be picked up at the WVGS Library after ordering. Lanyards are also available at the Membership Meetings.